A conventional paper slip transport and stack unit is provided with separation means always operating in one direction, transport means intermittently operating in one direction, and paper slip lift means in a stack section intermittently operating exclusively against the transport means, each of which is appropriately provided with a separate drive source.
Such a paper slip transport and stack unit often adopts a vertical structure to reduce the installation floor area of the unit; the stack section is disposed at the top and means such as the transport means to the stack section are located in the vertical direction.
Such a vertical transport section sends a slip of paper placed between a conveyor belt and a plurality of rollers in rolling contact with the conveyor belt; hitherto, such a vertical transport section has been built in the frame of the unit.
Further, a paper slip inlet in the stack section is formed with an eject roller 1 at the termination of the transport means for transferring slips of paper to the paper slip lift means while the eject roller 1 comes into rolling contact with the conveyor belt. The eject roller 1 has a structure where a cylinder 2 is formed with a large number of pins 3 in a radial manner, as shown in FIG. 9.
However, it is wasteful to provide a separate drive source for each of the separation means, the transport means, the paper slip lift means in the stack section, etc., at the paper slip transport and stack unit; it not only increases costs, but also hinders miniaturization of the unit.
At such a unit, a slip of paper being transported may cause a so-called jam to occur and become unable to be transported. Particularly, a jam is prone to occur in the vertical transport section, which transports slips of paper which are likely to fall downward while being placed between the conveyor belt and rollers. At the conventional unit, the transport section is also built into the frame of the unit. Thus, each time a jam occurs, the outer cover must be opened to take out the jammed slip of paper and moreover it is very cumbersome to take out the slip of paper placed between the belt and rollers, etc.
Further, the conventional eject roller 1 as shown in FIG. 9, which provides the pins 3 each having a small area in contact with a slip of paper, is weak in terms of a discharge force onto the paper slip lift means and a drawing force when a slip of paper is again drawn close to the upper edge part of the eject roller after it is once discharged at the lower edge part, and is not formed with an elastic member; resultantly, a stack of the preceding and following slips of paper may be placed in a disorderly manner.